New Beginnings
by HoneyFlower15
Summary: Misty left to run the gym but along the way she encounters Gary and an injured Pokémon. They decide to travel together and bring it to Professor Oak's lab. Along the way feelings develop and new adventures begin for them both. Egoshipping
1. Chapter 1

Misty let a soft hum escape her lips as she rode her bike down the empty path. She had just departed from Ash and Brock and although she already missed them deeply she wasn't going to let that stop her from enjoying life. The sun was shining, the sky was crystal clear, and there were no annoying bug Pokémon that could ruin her good mood. "We'll be home soon Togepi." she told her little companion that was enjoying riding in the basket of her bike. She received a happy chirp from her little friend was more like her own child than a Pokémon.

She giggled softy at this and turned her head briefly in the direction of the ocean that was to the right of her. She was very tempted to just jump in the beautiful blue ocean but she had promised her sisters that she would head to the gym before they left for their trip. So despite her desire to go for a nice relaxing swim she peddled onwards towards home.

"Ahhh!"

At least she was until she, and everyone else in the area, heard a terror filled scream. She stopped her bike almost instantly and looked in the direction of the cries of terror. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw boat after boat turning back towards the shore at full speed, not too far behind the boats were a family of Gyarados.

"What on earth?" She pushed power into her feet and peddled quickly to the docks nearby, she figured if one of the Gyarados attacks a boat she could used her Pokémon to help save the passengers. With a sharp stop she dug through her bag and pulled out three of her Poké Balls. "Now everyone, go help-!" she stopped however when she saw that the Gyarados were no longer chasing the boats but had stopped and only watched the boats runaway. They stayed that way for a moment, just staying there and watching as everything ran away from them, before returning back to the sea. "Well that was different," she put the three balls back in her bag and walked up to one of the lifeguards. "Excuse me sir, can you tell me what's going on?" she asked, holding Togepi close to her chest just in case of another attack.

The man on duty looked young with tan skin and sandy blonde hair, but the deep frown on his face did not do his good look any justice. "We're not really sure of that ourselves. For some strange reason the Gyarados haven't been letting any passing ships or Pokémon even cross. It's been going on for almost a week now and if they keep this up we'll have to close to beach down." he sighed, arms crossed over his chest as he looked out at the ocean that held a family of enraged Gyarados.

Misty looked out at the water her, eyes scanning the area, trying to understand what had caused the Gyarados to suddenly start attacking anyone or anything that crossed their path. "Do any coral wreaths grow around here at all?"

The lifeguard nodded, "A lot actually. It's like of forest of coral in these waters. It's what makes our beach so popular, because many people want to explore them but with how things are turning out I doubt anyone will be able to enter the water anytime soon."

Misty nodded but held a small smile on her face. "I doubt that," she looked up at the man and gave him a confident grin. "I'm betting that after a few days everything will have calmed down and soon enough everyone will be able to get back into the waters."

She wasn't surprised by the confused look he was giving her. "What makes you say that?"

She smiled again, "Because the mating season for Gyarados just passed and I'm betting that they laid their eggs among the coral wreathes. They usually like to lay their eggs among a well protected area. I'm also betting that the eggs are getting ready to hatch and the reason they're acting this way is because they're protecting their eggs."

The man looked both amazed and a little relieved. "That makes a lot of sense. It's normal for this beach to have a lot of Gyarados in its waters but they've never bothered anybody unless they were being attacked. I wondered why they suddenly started acting so weird." he looked very happy with the answer she had given him and she was glad for that.

Misty nodded and Togepi chirped happily in her arms at his delight. "Things will probably go back to normal in a few days. The newly hatched offspring will need some time to adjust to the currents so I would suggest not to let anyone go in the water for the next three or four days. After they've adjusted the Gyarados should calm down and everyone can go swimming again."

The lifeguard nodded and gave her a grateful grin. "Yes, you're probably right and thank you so much for your help. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't appeared."

She blushed slightly at the compliment. "It's no problem really," she walked back to her back and waved him goodbye. "I'm just happy to help." she walked back to her bike and with one hand she started to push it off the dock and headed back to the road. "Now that everything is settled it's time to start heading back home." Togepi agreed with her instantly and after giggling at how cute it was she went to put her Pokémon in the basket of her bike but something stopped her.

"Umbreon." the dark-type evolved version of Eevee sat in her basket as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and while she found it very cute she could not for the life of her figure out why it was in her basket. So she and her Togepi stared at it with a confused look as it stared back.

"You know it's not very polite to stare," Misty turn her head quickly in the direction of the familiar voice that held confidence and a hint of ego in it.

"Gary?" she hadn't expected to see him here or his Umbreon hitching a ride in her bike. "What are you doing here?" Last she saw him was when he announced he was going to be a researcher like his grandfather.

He held a small smirk on his face. "I was visiting Grandpa for a few days before heading off to Sayda Island. I'm part of the research group there but it seems like I won't be able to go back anytime soon with how the Gyarados are acting." he shifted the back that he was holding to the ground and put one hand on his hip.

She gave him a soft smile, "Yeah, I doubt anybody will be able to make it across for the next few days."

He nodded his head, "Looks that way," he sent a quick glance at the ocean before turning his gaze back on her. "You wouldn't happen to have a phone on you, would you? I want to call my group to tell them that I'm going to be to make it to the island anytime soon."

Sadly she shook her head. "Sorry, I don't. I was actually headed to the Pokémon Center to use to the phone there so I could call my sisters and tell them that I would be home soon."

He raised an eyebrow at her words. "You're not traveling with Ash anymore?" he seemed surprised at this. He wasn't expecting that answer but it did make sense. He had wondered why he hadn't seen any signs of her two traveling companions anywhere.

Once again she shook her head. "Not anymore. My sisters are going on a trip so I have to head back home to manage the gym." she knew that she had a sad grin on her face but she wasn't going to force herself to try and act like she was happy. She knew it would take her a while to get used to things but until then it was alright to be a little sad.

"That so?" he seemed to think over her answer for a moment before another grin appeared on his face. "Well I guess it's for the best then. No offense but I battled with your sisters and they weren't exactly a challenge."

His words only caused her to sigh and roll her eyes. "None taken. I know my sisters and I know that they would rather get a makeover than battle." she had missed her home deeply but she was worried about what she would find. She was pretty sure that the gym was now known for underwater ballets than gym battles and that scared her.

Gary let out a low chuckle at her words and strange she felt her cheeks start to heat up. _"Stupid. What am I doing blushing at this guy?" _she silently scolded herself for even letting her heart beat start to speed up at him. So what if he was good looking, he still had an ego that annoyed her beyond belief. _"At least he's calmed down." _thankfully he had matured and wasn't the same brat that he was when she first meet him. If he was she was sure that she would have slapped him by now. "Hey, I know. Since we're both in need of a phone why don't we head to the center together."

He nodded and his grin increased in size. "Sounds good," he turned his gaze onto his Umbreon who was busy playing with Togepi. "I doubt we have any other choice with how these two are acting." he reached forward and petted his Umbreon on the head and smiled at the happy purr it released.

Misty nodded in agreement before moving her Togepi in the basket with Umbreon. The two seemed happy to be able to sit together as they chatted happily with one another. With a small giggle escaping her when she saw how cute the two were acting she pushed her bike forward and walked alongside Gary Oak towards the Pokémon Center. She had to say that she was really surprised at how much they had in common and how just talking with him was so much fun. When he wasn't busying trying to act like he was some amazing gift to the world he was actually a nice guy that had some really interesting things to say. She told him this of course and she couldn't stop the laugh that came out when she saw the look on his face. His lips turned into a deep frown but he tried to act as if he didn't care what she said but it was obvious that he did and that just made him seem cute to her. _"I serious need to stop thinking such weird thoughts." _she released a low sigh before directing her gaze up towards the open blue sky. She needed to clear her thoughts before she started thinking even more weird things.

"Hey, wait a minute...?" she stopped in her tracks, eyes squinting to get a better look but the sun was blocking her. "Gary, do you see that?" she asked her traveling companion as she kept her gaze on the sky.

Gary looked at her for a moment before turning his own gaze towards the sky. "No. Why? What do you see?" he put one hand up to try and block out the sun in his eyes but he still didn't see anything.

She bite her lower lip and her eyes tried to get a good look at it but with the sun and how it was moving she couldn't get a clear look. "I'm not sure but I think it's a Pokémon, but it's acting really weird." she pointed up towards the sky, where the clouds were all pushed together and the sun was shining its brightest. She could make out a figure up in the sky, making all sorts of twists and turns but she couldn't tell what it was or what it was doing.

"Oh yeah," he finally saw it and watched as it made another sharp turn into the clouds. "It almost looks like it's being chased." he frowned at this. He didn't want to see any Pokémon getting hurt or abused.

Misty frowned herself as she strained her eyes to get a better look. She could see that it was heading their way but it was moving at such a fast pace that she couldn't make out an imagine. It flew high in the sky at a speed she didn't even know was possible but as it started to come closer she could see more of its body and how it looked. Strangely she had a sense of familiarity at seeing it. "Here it comes." Gary announced as it flew closer and as it came closer she gasped in shock when she realized what kind of Pokémon it was. "It's a Pidgeotto!" she cried in amazement as she saw the dual-type creature. She remembered that Ash had one before he released it, but his was nowhere near as big and it wasn't nearly as fast.

They watched as it made a nosedive towards them, trying desperately to escape whatever it was that was chasing it. It's wings were flapping frantically and its feet kept opening and closing, showing them clear signs that it was scared of something. Gary saw this and was able to move out of its way as it flew by them but Misty was not as lucky. "Ahh!" she let out cries of fear as the Pidgeotto carried her away. Somehow it had grabbed the back of her shirt when it was flying by and it had took her along for the ride.

"Misty!" Gary called to her, eyes wide as he watched her get carried away by the frantic Pokémon. "Umbreon, come on." he commanded his Pokémon that had Misty's Togepi on its back as they chased after them.

Misty struggled to keep calm but it was not the easiest thing to accomplish when your being carried away by a scared Pokémon that seemed to be trying to get away from something. She just hoped that whatever it was running from doesn't show up any time soon. _"I need to try and calm it down." _despite her fears she knew that they only way she was going to get out of this without injuring not only herself but Pidgeotto as well was to get to calm down. "Pidgeotto, you need to calm down. You're not being chased anymore so do you think we can go back to the ground now? Please!" she all but cried as the wind picked up and it started shake a little at the strong currents.

Pigeotto finally noticed it had picked up a traveling partner and the reaction it gave was not one Misty was hoping for. It started to panic when it saw her and began a fast and sudden quick drop back to the ground. It cried out in fear and Misty was right along with it. It made a nosedive right into one of the trees but not before finally releasing its grip on Misty.

She let out screams of terror when she felt her body start to fall to the ground. If she hit the ground at this speed she was going to do some serious damage to her body. "Help me!" she cried again, eyes closed tight to try and block out the fate that she was certain to meet.

"Misty!" Just moments before her body reached the ground Gary managed to catch. His hold on her was strong as they tumbled to the ground, his back hitting the base of the tree, pain shot through his body at the hard impact but he refused to release his grip on her. "Are you ok?" he groaned out, moving them so that he could lean against the tree and his hands were on her shoulders to support her.

Misty took in deep breathes, trying to calm down her racing heart and to keep her breakfast down. Tears started to gather in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. That sudden experience sacred her beyond belief but she couldn't allow herself to break down. So despite her shaking body she was able to sit herself up on her knees and give her savior a kind smile. "Yes, thanks to you. You really-"

Both felt their hearts skip a beat and their breathes seemed caught in their throats as they stared at the other. His hands on her shoulders and her hands on his chest, making their faces only inches apart. Her small frame was wrapped in his larger one and both couldn't help but notice how the other seemed to fit just right. The each held faint pink blushes on their cheeks as they stared, enchanted by the other. It was as if an ancient old spell that was placed over them activated and the only way to break it was to stare. They meet before this but they never really paid attention to the other. Now that they were finally looking they couldn't the strength to look away, ever again.

_"Her eyes..." _he was captivated by the sea green eyes that seemed to drown him in. They were like the color of the sea and like the sea they were pulling him. These eyes that resembled the ocean were enchanting to him and he never wanted them to look away from him. He want to forever stare into them and to have them stare at him forevermore.

_"His lips..." _she couldn't take her eyes off those two soft lips that seemed to be calling her. Harsh words could be said from those same lips but when her name escaped from them it felt like her heart want to explode. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him, what feeling she would get when her lips touched his? Would it make her heart soar or would sparks fly? She wanted, _needed_, to know.

Without realizing it they were moving their faces closer to each other. Eyes closing, hands gripping to the other, and their hearts seemed to be going in time with one another.

"Umbreon!" at the sound of Gary's Pokémon approaching the two trainers quickly jumped apart, faces burning as realization sunk in at what they almost did. Their hearts were skyrocketing as they thought over the almost kiss and how crazy they were for doing that. _"I can't believe I just did that!"_ both scolded themselves inside their own minds, each sneaking a glance at the other before quickly looking away. Their hearts beating even faster. Yet even with the embarrassment and the thought of how unbelievable they were behaving they didn't know it but both held a feeling of disappointment deep inside their hearts.

"Umbre!" Umbreon arrived soon after, setting the worried Togepi down so it could run to its mother. "It's ok, Togepi. I'm fine now." Misty reassured the small crying Pokémon that was holding onto her in a tight hug. She giggled at how cute it was behaving and gave it a soft kiss on the forehead. "See, I'm ok."

"Toge?" Togepi titled its head to the side, as if examine her but when it saw that she was indeed fine it let out a happy chirp "Toge Toge prii!" it jumped out of her hold so it could sit on her lap and hold her close from there.

Gary watched this from his spot on the ground, Umbreon was next to him checking its master for any injuries he may have but Gary wasn't even paying attention to his own body. He couldn't stop himself from looking at Misty. "It looks like Togepi was really worried about you." he spoke softly, cheeks still burning, and his hand went to pet Umbreon to try and distract himself. He didn't know why he suddenly felt so out of place but this whole experience was weird for him and he didn't know how to handle it.

Misty felt her heart skip a beat at his voice and her cheeks became a bright red once more. "Yes, it seems so," she held tight to Togepi, burying her head in its own soft one, trying to hide herself from this situation. She still couldn't believe that she almost kissed Gary Oak, the rival of her best friend and someone who at one time annoyed the heck out of her. She knew that he wasn't the same person she had first met back on their journey but she was still shocked at what she almost did. "Thanks again for saving me." she sent him a sideways glance, trying her hardest not to appear totally embarrassed.

Gary sent her the same look. "Yeah, no problem."

They seemed to tense up when their gazes met and quickly turned away from the other.

"Um?" Umbreon watched the two and how they were behaving, finding that their strange and sudden actions towards each other very odd. "Umbreon!" however something more important caught its eye and caused it to cry out at the sight. Gary and Misty saw this and followed its gaze up towards the tree that was behind them.

"It's the Pidgeotto," Misty gasped when she saw the tried and completely worn out Pokémon passed out in the tree above them.

"This is bad. It looks really hurt and its energy is probably all worn out," Gary jumped to his feet and slowly started to climb up the tree. "We need to get it to a Pokémon Center and quickly." with a quick drop he landed on his feet with ease and making a quick grab for his bag he pulled out a blanket to wrap the Pidgeotto in.

"You're right," Misty nodded in agreement and followed after him. She had no time to be embarrassed, not when there was a Pokémon that needed their help. "We should-!" she stopped however when she saw Gary putting Pidgeotto in her bike's basket and him getting on. _"I've seen this scene before." _it was like meeting Ash all over again. She bite her lip to keep from whining but she had just gotten her bike back and she didn't want to lose it all over again. _"Is it some weird tradition that guys from Pallet like to steal bikes and totally destroy them?" _she couldn't help but wonder as this was the second time some guy from Pallet was taking off with her bike.

"Well?" he turned around to look at her, one hand on her bike handle and the other holding a Poké Ball as he called back his Umbreon. "Hop on." he motioned for her to sit behind him.

She stood there frozen, utterly confused and amazed. "What?"

He seemed to smirk at her confusion. "You didn't really think that I would steal your bike and leave you here, did you? I'm not an idiot you know. Now hop on, Pidgeotto needs our help and its faster to ride than it is to walk." his words seemed to have a certain hold on her because for whatever reason she put her Togepi in her bag and hopped on the back of her bike without putting up a fight. Once her arms were wrapped around his waist Gary took off in a flash, surprising her at the speed but she adjusted quickly and let herself softly look at him. _"Gary Oak," _her eyes traveled up to his face that was set in stone hard determination, making him somehow appear older than he really is. _"You really are something else." _her eyes traveled down to where her hands were, wrapped tightly around his waist. She smiled softly at the nice feeling she was experiencing. She may have left Ash and the group but her adventure was far from over.

In fact it was just starting.


	2. Chapter 2

"Nurse Joy!" They made it to the Pokémon Center as quickly as possible, leaving the bike just outside the center as they both ran in and called for the nurse. "This Pidgeotto is hurt really bad and it needs your help now." Gary showed her the weakened Pokémon and wasn't shocked when he saw her gasp and horrified look.

"Oh my," she jumped to her feet and quickly grabbed Pidgeotto from his hands. "This Pokémon needs medical treatment now." she called for help and soon enough a Chansey came with a stretcher and the two doctors were off to heal their heavily injured patient.

Misty watched them go, a small frown on her face. "I hope Pidgeotto will be alright." she was worried for the poor thing and prayed that it would recover soon.

Gary nodded, "Same here but first I want to know what caused it to freak out like it did," he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes in thought. "This Pidgeotto acted like it had seen a monster and was desperate to get away from it but what I found to be really weird is that it was alone. Normally Pidgeotto fly in a flock with its own kind but this one was completely alone."

"You're right," Misty suddenly realized that not once had she seen any other Pidgey or Pidgeotto around. In her sudden flight with it they flown through enough of the forest but she hadn't seen any other Pokémon around. "Do you think something happened to scare them all off?"

Gary shook his head, "If that was true then this Pidgeotto would have gone with the rest of the group. Also with the size it is and by the power it has means that something really big must have spooked it but none of the other Pokémon seemed like they were being bothered."

"What do you mean?" Misty asked, not entirely sure on what he was talking about.

He opened his eyes to look at her, solid black eyes staring at her and only her. "Well think about it, Pidgeotto is a lot bigger than the usual size it supposed to be and it seems to be a lot stronger too. After all it was able to carry you off and still fly in the sky without so much as a struggle."

Misty felt her eye twitch at his words. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." she huffed and looked away, eyes glaring softly at the lightly colored walls that surrounded them.

Gary seemed to realize his mistake and quickly made up for it. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that a Pidgeotto shouldn't be able to carry anything more than a small Pokémon, so for it to carry a full grown girl must mean that it's really special. I swear I didn't mean anything else by that."

Misty only huffed and continued to look away from him, eyes still glaring at the wall. Despite his words she was still a little upset by his comment. You never talk about a girl's weight and just expect them to be ok with it. It was a taboo subject.

With her attention focused on the wall she failed to notice Gary placed his hands on her hips and pushed himself closer to her. Only when she felt her feet leave the ground and she was now looking down at the smiling researcher did she realize what had taken place. "See, if I can lift you without even trying then it's no surprise that Pidgeotto could too." Misty didn't have it in her to respond. All she could do was nod while her entire face burned the same bright color as her fiery red hair.

He set her down gentle but once down they both noticed how close they were to one another and instantly they were reminded of the almost kiss in the forest. They jumped away from each other quickly, each avoiding the others eyes.

Gary cleared his throat and played with the yin-yang necklace that he wore. "Anyway, as I was saying, I think we should look into what made Pidgeotto freak out so much and why it was alone."

Misty nodded quickly, hoping her face would return to normal soon. "Yeah, you're right." she played with her fingers, hoping to distract herself enough from this sudden feeling that was overtaking her. _"What's wrong with me? I never acted this way with Ash." _She understood that her crush on Ash was strong but she never got to the point where she felt like this. When she was with Ash she felt comfortable but with Gary she felt something strange, something wild.

_"It felt like I was swimming in the strongest current the ocean had. The hold so strong but so safe that I couldn't help but go along with the flow." _

Misty gasped when those words popped into her head, eyes wide as she remembered the happy smile that could been seen when those words were spoken. Her hand unconsciously going up towards her neck and grasped her yellow shirt.

Gary noticed her sudden behavior and felt worry overcome him. "Misty..." he wanted to ask what had bothered her so much but was stopped as he noticed Nurse Joy coming towards them. "How's Pidgeotto? Is everything ok?" Gary was impressed by her sudden mood change and how she seemed to completely be over what had been bothering her but he could still see it. Deep in her sea green eyes she was still thinking about it...whatever "it" was. _"Is it my fault?" _his hands clenched into two tight fists at his sides as he wondered if he was the reason why she was acting so strange.

"Everything is going to be just fine," both teens sighed with relief when they heard these words and looked to the pink-haired woman with two smiles on their faces. "It was lucky you two brought it in when you did. Pidgeotto had a lot of old wounds on its body and with how low its energy was I can't be certain that it would have survived much longer." she told them the truth. She knew it may have sounded harsh but they needed to know everything.

"Do you know how or why Pidgeotto got like that?" Gary asked, pushing aside the thoughts from before. He had other things to focus on and once they were done then would he focus on his other problems. Mainly if he was the reason why Misty suddenly seemed to bothered.

With a sad nod she began to explain things. "As you know this Pidgeotto is a bit different from the regular Pokémon of its breed. From the time it was born it was a lot bigger and stronger than the rest and before long it became hated by the rest of the flock. It was abandoned with it was a Pidgey, left to fend for itself. It was only by chance that I found it and since then I've been taking care of it. It only just evolved last week but it seems that it is still being hunted."

"Hunted?" Both Gary and Misty gasped at the word.

She nodded again. "Many Pokémon hunters have come to try and capture it but thankfully its speed always manages to help it escape but it seems that its begun to lose the will to live." she sighed, clearly bothered by this whole thing. She hated seeing Pokémon get treated like this.

Misty felt her heart go out for the poor thing. "It's been through so much already, why does it have to be hunted." she bite her bottom lip, fighting back the frustrated tears that wanted to come out.

"Is there anything that we can do to help?" Gary stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder as he spoke to Nurse Joy. "My grandfather is Professor Oak and if I can get his approval we can get Pidgeotto on the Pokémon Endangerment List. If it's on that list than by law it can't be hunted and anyone who tries to capture it will immediately be arrest by the police."

Nurse Joy smiled at the two. "That would be best but I'm not quite sure how Pidgeotto would act around strangers. It still barely trusts me and I've been taking care of it for years now." she sighed sadly, one hand holding her cheek.

"But we still have to try," Misty spoke up next, eyes now shining with determination instead of tears. "If we can get Pidgeotto to trust us then I'm sure that everything will turn out fine. We can't just give up." she refused to just give up without at least trying.

Nurse Joy looked at the two teens that were trying their hardest to help a Pokémon that wasn't even theirs. "Alright, but don't get to upset if it tries to use its Peck attack on you," she smiled softly when she saw them nod. It has been a very long time since she seen trainers show such care and kindness towards Pokémon. "Pidgeotto should be waking up within the next hour or so. Until then why don't you two get something to eat while you wait. If you want I can even do a quick check up on your Pokémon as well."

"If you don't mind." Misty smiled softly, taking out her Poké Balls and handing them to Nurse Joy. She tried giving Togepi over as well but the little baby was determined to stay with her, it was probably still shaken up about what happened earlier.

"Thanks a lot," Gary handed over every one of his Pokémon except for one. "Umbreon is really picky about who it likes so taking it to Pokémon Center where it actually doesn't mind people is really tough." he explained when he saw Misty giving him a confused look. Her head was titled to the side slightly and her eyes seemed to glow in wonder and curiosity. He couldn't help but find it cute.

"I see," Misty nodded, saying she understood. "Well I think I'm going to call my sisters now and let them know what's going on. How about I meet you back here in a few minutes?" she suggested. She knew that she needed to call her sisters and inform them that she was going to be late getting home and she figured she might as well call them now before they do anything weird.

Gary nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. I still have to call the research lab on the island to let them know what's going on." he added on, running one hand through his hair but a few strands were left hanging.

Misty didn't know what came over her but before she could stop herself she reached forward and pushed the hair back into place. _"So soft." _her mind seemed to enter a haze for a moment before she finally realized what she was doing. "I'll see you in a bit." she waved him off as made a quick dash for the nearest phone.

Nurse Joy watched the scene before her and couldn't help the few giggles that escaped her. "You two make quite the cute couple."

Gary felt his cheeks heat up but he didn't let it bother him. "We're not dating, we're just friends. Besides I'm pretty sure that she likes someone else." he frowned as a bitter taste suddenly entered his mouth. He didn't know why he was getting so upset over the mere thought that she liked Ash, even though he knew it had to be true. He saw no point in getting angry over something so trivial.

"Well, you won't know unless you ask," she sent him a bright reassuring smile. "You never know, you may just like the answer you get." and with that said she walked away, leaving him with only his thoughts.

Gary watched her go, mind suddenly going through a whirlwind of thoughts. Shaking his head slightly he made his way towards the closet phone, however the only one left was one the farthest away from Misty. He passed her on his way and saw he talking to some blonde-haired woman. He recognized her from his first trip to the gym but he couldn't remember her name or the other two girls that were with her. All he could remember was that they seemed to care more about how they looked than battling him. Honestly he only had to use a tackle attack from his Squirtle and once they saw that their Pokémon got knocked down they gave him the badge. They didn't even try to fight him.

He knew that if he battled with Misty she would try her hardest to beat him and if she somehow did beat him she wouldn't rub it in his face like so many other trainers would do. "No point in thinking about this now," he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts of this subject but it seemed to just keep coming back. So while he dialed in the number and waited for Dora or another person to answer the phone he let his mind wander.

He won't admit it out loud but he always found Misty sort of interesting. Just the way she was always seemed to catch his attention. She was strong and confident but was also a little shy and she gave off such a feeling of caring and understanding that it sort of amazed him to find all of that in one person. He wondered if she got that way because of how her sisters acted? It was possible. They acted completely different from her and that somehow always managed to catch his attention.

He first noticed her when he went to her family's gym and in the lobby was a picture of her and her three sisters. He questioned which one he would be fighting and they told him that they little sister had left home on a journey. At the time he didn't really concentrate on anything else but winning the badge but he did remember wondering briefly why out of the three older beauties why were his eyes focused on the skinny red head that seemed to stick out. It was only when he first met her with Ash did he really see her personality and even then his eyes still followed her.

Something about her just seemed to fascinate him, like she was some rare Pokémon that he needed to learn everything about. He was used to being interested in different people but it was keeping that interest that amazed him. Such as with his cheerleaders, he was very pleased to have a huge fan club following and cheering for his every achievement but after a while he lost interest in the whole thing and let them all go. It was the same with battling. He liked doing it and he knew that his Pokémon liked it as well but he didn't feel the spark that he was certain that Ash felt when he battled. He could see it in his old rival's eyes, the spark of determination and enjoyment that came with doing what you were doing. He got that now with his research but he still felt the need to let his Pokémon do battle every once in a while.

For now he was still searching on what he really wanted in his life. Still searching for that one thing that would catch his interest and keep it there forever. Once again his eyes turned towards the red-haired girl that he was now traveling with and he couldn't help but stare at her as she seemed to be finishing up her phone call.

"Exactly how long are you going to stare off into space?" he jumped with a start when he heard Dora's voice come through. "About time, I was starting to think you would never realize I answered the phone." she gave him a playful smile.

Gary grinned weakly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just got distracted that's all," it was true in a way. He wasn't necessarily distracted, more like enthralled by the mere presences that was Misty Waterflower. "Anyway, I was calling to let you know that I won't be able to make it back to the lab for the next few days. It looks like some Gyarados eggs are about to hatch and the parents aren't letting any ships pass by.

Dora nodded, saying she understood. "I had a feeling. We can see their Hyper Beams from over here. At the moment my sister and I are the only ones on the island, everyone else is stuck on the mainland. I was just about to send out a message saying to use this time as a mini vacation." she informed him.

He nodded himself this time. "Ok, that sounds good." he smiled, happy that things seemed to be working out fine for him and his research group.

"Ok, then I'll see you and everyone else in a few days." with that said Dora ended the call.

Gary dialed in the number to his grandfather's lab and while he waited for his call to be answered he looked over to see Misty was sitting on one of the waiting chairs, playing a game of peek-a-boo with her Togepi. Seeing this he released his Umbreon and motioned for it to join in on the fun while they waited. Umbreon held no arguments and quickly joined Misty and her Togepi, making the red-haired girl look in his direction. He signaled that he would be done soon and to just keep doing what she was doing. With a nod and a smile Misty went back to playing with her Togepi and with their new friend Umbreon. He smiled softly when he saw how well Umbreon seemed to get along with her and he was glad that his Pokémon seemed to like her.

"Gary?" for the second time that day he jumped with a start. "Are you ok?" Tracey was on the line, giving him a strange look.

"Who's on the phone, Tracey?" Professor Oak appeared behind his young assistant, a cup of tea in one hand and a folder of papers in the other.

"It's Gary but he's acting really weird. He's smiling and he just let his Umbreon run off somewhere." Tracey informed his hero of his grandson's strange behavior.

Professor Oak practically ran to the phone. "Gary, is this true? Are you ok? You're not sick are you? Do you need me to call a doctor? Maybe you should come back to the lab for a few more days."

Gary sighed as his grandfather continued to ramble on about what could possibly be wrong with him. He didn't think it was that strange for him to be acting this way. So what if he doesn't smile as often as Ash does, that doesn't mean it's like a crime for him to smile every once in a while. "Grandpa, calm down." he sighed again, one hand running through his hair as he tried to get his grandfather to stop freaking out. He groaned when he saw a few pieces had fallen out of places and went to put them back only to have his cheeks burn a bright red when he remembered Misty doing the same exact thing.

"Gary, what's wrong? You're all red, are you running a fever? Should I have send someone to pick you up?" he went on again, worry overflowing for his grandson and Gary could only sigh once again as he tried to calm his grandfather down. As he watched his grandfather and Tracey go over what could be wrong with him his eyes once again led him to Misty. She was petting his Umbreon who seemed very pleased to be receiving her attention while her Togepi was happily napping in her lap. He chuckled softly, already knowing that Umbreon now has a new favorite person other than himself. It would be nice if they could travel together but he knew that with her gym duties and his research job the possibly of them traveling was very slim. Still he hoped that whenever one of them had free time they could spend time together. It was a nice idea and he wanted to ask if she would be ok with him dropping by the gym on his days off but something was holding him back.

Ash.

He could tell that she had a crush on the guy. The way she cheered him on and traveled with him for so long showed that she had feelings for the guy. But exactly how far did those feelings go and how strong? _"After this I'll ask," _he turned his focus back on his grandfather and began his explanation of everything that had just taken place. _"After all this I'll ask and decide where to go from there." _


	3. Chapter 3

Misty giggled in her spot as she watched Umbreon play with the sleeping Togepi. It would use one of its paws to roll her Pokémon around and when it saw Togepi about to wake up it would quickly hide behind Misty before it was spotted. She smiled at how cute the usual serious Pokémon was acting and began to scratch it behind its long black ears. Umbreon seemed to enjoy the special treatment it was getting from her as soft purrs could be heard. "And Gary said that you didn't like others," she laughed at the Dark-Type that scooted closer to her to receive even more affection. "Umbreon, you're just so cute." she cooed at the Pokémon, scratching it more behind the ears.

"You keep this up and Umbreon is going to get spoiled." Misty jumped slightly when she heard his voice but she recovered quickly enough and offered him a grin.

"Well sometimes it's good to be a little spoiled," she sent him a sideways glance before her grin widen in size. "Of course there is a limit. If you over spoil anyone then there's a scary chance that their ego will be as bad as yours." she laughed when she saw the annoyed look on his face appear once again. "Oh, come on. I'm just kidding. You've actually grown up and I'm very impressed."

She wasn't surprised when she saw that proud grin appear on his face. "That so?"

She nodded, "Yep, after all I no longer have the desire to smack you across the head like I used to and let me tell you that it's very impressive for me to no longer have any violent feelings leftover for you."

Gary frowned slightly, "I'm going to pretend that was a compliment and not another insult," his frown turned into a small grin as he gestured to the doors. "I already checked with Nurse Joy and it seems we still have some time left before Pidgeotto and our Pokémon are ready. Feel like getting something to eat now?"

Misty nodded eagerly. "You bet, I'm starving." she gathered her Togepi in her arms, waking the small Pokémon up as laughed as it chipped happily in her arms. "So were you able to get in contact with everyone?" she asked as they exited the center and walked along the sidewalk, looking for a place to get some food and fill their empty stomachs. Once outside Togepi jumped from her arms and landed on Umbreon's back, ready for another piggyback ride.

He nodded, hands stuffed into his pockets as he walked along beside her with Umbreon and Togepi in between the both of them. "Yeah, I told Dora what was happening. Turns out I'm not the only one stuck stranded here by the Gyarados, almost everyone is being delayed by them."

"So what's going to happen with your research?" she asked, concerned.

He only shrugged. "I have all the data I need on my laptop and if anything new is discovered we can e-mail it to each other," he look straight ahead, a sort of faraway look in his eyes as he spoke. "Of course I would rather do my research with the fossils right in front of me but I guess I'll have to wait a week until I had look over the Omanyte fossils."

Misty gasped and practically jumped in front of him, her green eyes sparkling. "You're really researching about Omanyte? That's just amazing!"

He was surprised by her sudden behavior change but he didn't let it bother him. "Yeah, I actually found them a few days ago. They washed up on shore, luckily they're in perfect condition and if things go well we may be able to restore them back to life." he told her, expecting more questions about how he could bring ancient Pokémon back to life but he didn't receive the answer that he was going to get.

Misty gasped even more, the sparkles in her eyes seemed to increase and her cheeks were now a light pink color. "That's so amazing! You have to send me pictures once you revive it. Omanyte are just so cute!" she sighed wishfully, already imaging all the cute pictures that could be taken of the ancient water-type Pokémon.

Gary had to say that he was shocked by her sudden mood change but he had to admit he found it kind of cute. With a light chuckle he answered her and this time he was expecting an even bigger response than the last one. "How about I do you one better and invite you onto the island once we revive them. They are part water-type Pokémon and they'll probably need help adapting so you could prob-" he wasn't able to finish as two pairs of arms were wrapped around his neck and as Misty pressed her body up against her.

"I would love too!" she practically squealed in excitement. She couldn't believe that she was actually going to see an ancient water-type. She was so overjoyed at the news that she couldn't help but hug Gary. "This is like a dream come true," she let go of her hold on him before she practically skipped down the block. "You have better call me the moment they're awake." she sent him a wide smile, mind already thinking of the fun games that she would play with the Omanyte.

"Umbre?" Gary heard his Umbreon's next to him but he couldn't bring himself to focus on it at the moment. All his mind could concentrate on was how it felt when Misty hugged him, his mind seemed to shut down at the sudden contact but he was also completely aware of her ocean-breeze scented hair and her delicately soft body. It felt nice, really nice, and he wanted to feel more of it. "Hey, are you coming?" he snapped out of his daze the moment he hear her voice. She was standing only a few feet away from him, eyes shining with confusion and concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he sent her his million dollar smile and acted like her hug didn't have the huge affect on him that it did. "Just had to catch my breath. You really don't know your own strength, red." he grinned at her, enjoying how her cheeks burned a bright pink at the nickname.

She huffed and turned her back on him, "Well excuse me." she walked quickly, heading to the closer burger joint and Gary followed her silently behind. He knew that the nickname annoyed her but he could tell that she was more embarrassed at what he said.

"You really are an interesting, girl." he mumbled to himself.

"Did you say something?" Misty could have sworn that she heard him say something but it was very faint so she wasn't too sure.

Gary merely shook his head. "Nope."

"Oh, ok." Misty could have sworn she heard him say something. _"Maybe I'm just imaging things." _she thought, feet guiding her towards the burger place where already she could smell the delicious food being prepared.

"Why don't you go get us a table and I'll get the food." Gary suggested, already heading in the direction of the counter.

"Ok, then let me give you my wallet first." Misty called out, digging through her bag to get her wallet out so she could give him the money for her food.

"You don't have to worry," he put a hand up, stopping her before she could even pull her wallet out. "I got this." he flashed her yet another smile.

She only shook her head. "But I couldn't. I wouldn't feel right making you pay for me. Besides you probably need the money to buy a ticket for the ferry." she hated being in people's debt and she was sure that Gary needed the extra cash to buy a ferry ticket. The prices for the ferry can be very expensive, she knew from experience that you needed all the extra cash you could get when traveling, especially if you're alone. She tried handing him the money but he merely ignored her gesture and pushed her towards the tables.

"I told you, I got this. I got all the money I needed when I went to visit my grandfather, so just sit down and let me order for you." he looked directly into her eyes, making her heart beat quicken and her mind seemed to shut down.

"Ok," she whispered softly, not entirely sure why her legs suddenly felt numb or why her hands itched to hold him. She didn't understand any of what was happening to her. This never happened to her before. "What's happening to me?" she sighed, slamming her head down on the table, Umbreon and Togepi sent her worried glances but she could only offer them a weak smile. She was to confused with herself and this situation to do anything else. She's talked with Gary before but not once in any of those encounters did she ever feel the way she was now.

Ok, so maybe she hadn't ever really talked with him like she was now but she still never felt like this. She will admit that she found his good looks attractive but his giant ego made her want to smack him upside the head. She was grateful that he had calmed down because there was no way she could travel with the old Gary, at least not without hurting him. Yet even with his new attitude change that shouldn't be any reason for her to suddenly start feeling so weird. What's changed? What could have happened that made her feel this way? _"It almost feels like when I first started to develop a crush on Ash, only this is different. It's more intense," _lifting her head up she pulled at her shirt and with one hand pulled out a purple colored pendant that resembled the cascade badge that her gym gave out. _"It couldn't be that. It just couldn't be, right...mom?" _

"What you got there?" Misty nearly screamed when Gary suddenly appeared in front of her, tray of burgers and fries in his hands as he stared down at her.

"Don't scare me like that," she pouted slightly when she heard him chuckle at her but she chose to ignore it, for now.

"Well don't space out so much." he told her, handing her share of the food over. Togepi instantly jumped off Umbreon's back and chose to sit down on the table next to its mother, happily eating at the fries while Umbreon chose to jump on the seat and sit next to its master.

Misty looked away for a moment, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something really important." Gary raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to continue. With a sigh she continued her story, knowing that he wouldn't let her go without some kind of explanation. "This necklace used to belong to my mother. She passed away when I was eight and the day before she died she gave me this necklace. Ever since then I've kept this with me as my most prized possession."

"Sounds like you really love your mom," Gary said, one hand resting against his cheek as he spoke. "I'm sure that must make her really happy."

Misty nodded and put the necklace back inside the safety of her shirt. "Thanks, that means a lot." it really did. She was used to people saying that they were sorry for her loss and how sad they are that she has such a hard childhood but he didn't do that. Gary didn't give her a look of pity or treat her like she was a fragile doll or any of that other stuff that others did. He treated her like he always does and that made her very happy. "Now come on, let's eat! I'm starving and I'm sure that Pidgeotto and our Pokémon will be done soon." with that said she took her burger and took a massive bite out of it, already enjoying the delicious flavor of beef entering her mouth.

**~X~**

"Welcome back you two," Nurse Joy was at the front desk to greet them with a bright smile and their Poké Balls were right there beside her. "I just finished examining your Pokémon and I must say that I'm very impressed with how well they are taken care of."

Both trainers nodded in thanks and took back their Pokémon. "So how is Pidgeotto doing?" Gary asked, he was still concerned over the flying Pokémon and wondered if it was still recovering.

"Pidgeotto is doing just fine now and if you like you both can visit it if you want but remember that it scares easily, especially around humans so try and be a little patient with it." she informed them.

"We promise we will." Misty answered, already having no doubts that she would do everything possible to care for and help this Pidgeotto.

"Then if you will follow me please," Nurse Joy led them down the center's corridors. They passed by many rooms, all holding injured Pokémon that were being treated with the utmost care. "Pidgeotto is currently resting in our garden and I made sure that no other patients or trainers come by so take all the time you need." she informed them before opening the door that led them to a beautiful garden filled with many flowers, tress, plants, and much more.

"We will and thank you again, Nurse Joy." Misty thanked the kind nurse that was doing so much for them.

Nurse Joy only shock her head. "I should be the one thanking you. Many trainers have seen Pidgeotto but none of them have ever tried to help it." with that said she left them with a kind smile to return to her duties.

"So how do you think we should start this?" Misty asked, looking at Gary for any ideas. It was just the two of them and their Pokémon and she figured the best way to get Pidgeotto to trust them was for them to work together.

Gary stared straight ahead, looking at the injured Pidgeotto that currently resting up in a tree. He could see that it was aware of them being there but either it was too tired to move or it didn't find their presence threatening. "For now I think we should send our Pokémon in first. If Pidgeotto is being hunted then it probably is wary of humans and the wrong move could make it distrust us permanently."

"So you think if we send in our Pokémon first they'll be able to help Pidgeotto trust us?" Misty asked, thinking that his plan actually sounded really well thought out.

Gary nodded, "Exactly. If we're lucky and Pidgeotto sees how happy our Pokémon are with us then maybe it'll be easier for it to trust us."

"Got it," she understood the plan and she agreed with it. It was only the way for Pidgeotto to trust them, to show it that they didn't want to hurt it and to show it that they loved and cared for their Pokémon. "Come on out, everybody!" she called out all of her Pokémon and watched as they all were happy to be out of their Poké Balls. "Everyone we need you to help Pidgeotto to trust us. It's been through a lot so we need your help to show it that we mean it no harm and that it can trust us." Misty informed her friends and smiled when they all agreed to help instantly.

Gary grinned at her quickly before releasing his Pokémon. "You heard the lady, help Pidgeotto to trust us. It needs to learn that we mean it no harm." he informed his Pokémon and watched as all of them walked over to the tree that Pidgeotto was resting in.

"Do you think this will work?" Misty asked, holding Togepi in her arms. She didn't feel it was safe to let to go off with the rest. Just in case Pidgeotto attacked suddenly or if one of the bigger Pokémon didn't see it and stepped on it. For now she would keep it with her.

Gary only shrugged, arms crossed over his chest as he looked on. "I hope so," he wasn't sure what they would do if their Pokémon couldn't get Pidgeotto to trust them. "For now we just have to hope that Pidgeotto feels comfortable around our Pokémon and if it does then there may be a chance that it'll be ok with being around us." he hoped that it would and despite how badly he wanted to help it he knew that situations like this needed time and patient. So for now all they could do was wait and see what would happen next.

As Pidgeotto sat in the tree it watched the two release their Pokémon and saw the giant group headed its way. The big group stopped under the tree and seemed to call out to it but Pidgeotto stayed in its stop on the branch, eyes wide as it watched the group to wait and see what they would do. Its body was tense, most likely from fear, but its eyes almost looked like it had a hopefully look in it. Umbreon was the first to speak and soon everyone in the group was joining in, trying to convince Pidgeotto that it was among friends and that it had no reason to be afraid anymore. For a while it seemed like Pidgeotto wasn't going to move, it just sat there watching them, but suddenly its tensed face relax and it smiled before flying happily down to the group of its new friends.

"Look at that. Pidgeotto is trusting them." Misty exclaimed in happiness and surprise. She was sure for a moment there that they wouldn't succeed and that Pidgeotto would completely dismiss their plan.

Gary nodded, pleased with how things turned out. "This is good. If we let them all play together for a while then hopefully they can convince Pidgeotto to trust us," he looked around the garden and spotted a white bench just opposite of where their Pokémon were. "How about we sit and relax for a bit. Convincing Pidgeotto may take a while." he gestured for her to follow.

Misty nodded in agreement and quickly followed behind the young researcher before taking the spot next to him. Despite all the awkward moments they seemed to be getting into today somehow they still managed to find being together comfortable. "So what did your grandfather say when you told him about Pidgeotto?"

Gary shrugged, one arm resting over the top edge of the bench as he stared ahead, watching their Pokémon all play and comfort Pidgeotto. "He told me once its calm enough to bring it to his lab. He'll put it on the endangerment list once it gets to the ranch and from there it can live without worrying about being hunted down." he explained.

"I see," Misty sent a sideways glance before looking down at Togepi. "I guess after Pidgeotto is ready enough to trust us I'll start heading back home." she didn't know why but she felt disappointed. She wanted to stay longer but she knew that her duties to the gym had to come first.

"Too bad," Gary sent her a smirk and gestured towards their Pokémon. "Pidgeotto is probably only going to trust us so getting it to stay calm while we make the trip to Pallet isn't going to be easy, especially once we reach the ranch and it sees even more people. I figured it would take the both of us to help it adjust but if you're that ready to abandon it then I guess I have no right to stop you." he crossed his two arms behind his head, eyes closed with a knowing smile on his face. He knew what his words were doing to her.

Misty pouted, "Good guilt, Oak." she muttered, slightly annoyed that even though she knew he was trying to guilt her it still worked.

Gary's smile widen in size, obviously proud of himself. "Thanks red, but you know that I'm right. Pidgeotto needs the both of us right now to help it."

"I know that, but I'm worried about the gym. If my sisters leave before I arrive then the gym will have no leader and who knows what might happen." she sighed, worried over the fate of the gym and what could happen if she didn't get there in time.

"And where exactly are your sisters going again?" Gary asked, wondering where exactly the three older beauties were going that was so important they made Misty leave her journey to take over the gym.

Misty sighed, eyes rolling ever so slightly to show her annoyance. "They won some amazing trip around the world and are leaving me behind to watch the gym in their place."

"So basically they're going on vacation and leaving you to do all the work," Gary hit it straight on the money. "Well I doubt you have to worry about leaving the gym alone for too long. I'm betting we're not the only port being blocked by the Gyarados so they're probably not going to leave anytime soon." he told her this with full confidence that what he was saying was the truth.

"And if you're wrong...?" Misty sent him a smirk of her own, wanting to see what he would do it he was indeed wrong.

Gary only gave her a bored shrug before picking up Togepi from her lap. "Then I'll tell you every one of Ash's embarrassing secrets since he was a kid." he grinned and Togepi happily cheered in his hands.

Misty couldn't help but grin. "Sounds more like a prize than a punishment. Besides shouldn't it be your embarrassing secrets that you spill?"

Gary sent her a wink, "Sorry red but unlike Ash I don't have any embarrassing secrets. I do have an image to uphold." he told her, his ego coming out in full force and Misty couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

"Whatever you say, Oak. Whatever you say." She merely sighed as watched as her Togepi was happily playing in his lap, little giggles escaping the happy Pokémon as it received attention. _"This should be fun." _She wasn't sure why but she was actually looking forward to traveling with Gary to Pallet Town. She didn't understand her reasoning behind it but she knew that she would find the answer sooner or later. Until then she would just enjoy herself and her new traveling companion.


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't thank you two enough for doing this." Nurse Joy was standing outside the center, a truly happy smile on her face as she was sending off the two trainers.

Misty merely shook her head, a light blush on her cheeks. "You don't really have to thank us. We would have helped Pidgeotto regardless." she said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. Togepi was resting inside the bag, taking a nice nap. It took most of the day but they were finally able to convince Pidgeotto that they meant it no harm and after spending the night at the Pokémon Center they were getting ready to head off to Pallet Town.

"Even so, what you're doing for Pidgeotto is very kind and I'm very happy to learn that there still are trainers out there who care for Pokémon as much as you do." Nurse Joy sent them another kind smile that Misty knew for sure would of had Brock going on some weird rant about how she had stolen his heart. "I hope you two make it to Professor Oak's lab without any problems." and with that said Nurse Joy left them to return to her duties at the center.

"I guess it's time for us to get moving," Gary let out a long yawn as he sat on the bike. Pidgeotto was sitting in the basket, it was too weak for it to fly all the way to Pallet so they figured it would be easier to let it sit and rest. "The sooner we get to grandpa's place the sooner I can sleep."

Misty merely giggled at him. "I don't get why you're so tired. You went to bed way before I did." It was true. Gary had gone to bed a lot earlier before her, she had lost track of time as she was busy chatting with Ash's mom. She had informed the woman that she would stopping in town the next day and Delia promised to visit her when she got the chance. Misty also learned that Ash had already set out on a brand new journey. She had to admit that she did feel a little lonely hearing that he had already set off on new adventure but she was also starting her own new one and so far she had to admit that she was enjoying herself. When she gotten back to her room she didn't hear any commotion coming from Gary's room so she assumed that he had been sleeping.

Gary groaned softly, running one hand through his hair again. "I was but then your precious little Togepi decided to make a surprise appearance by jumping up and down on my stomach all night."

Misty couldn't help but laugh. "You know you could have just put Togepi back in bed with me." she wouldn't have cared if he came into her room to drop off her Pokémon.

Gary growled, "I did. Six times, but every time I did Togepi kept coming back in. It always appeared right as I fell asleep and no matter how many times I put it back it kept coming back." he pouted, clearly showing signs of annoyance.

"It just means that Togepi really likes you." Misty told him. Actually she was a little surprised by hearing how much Togepi had bothered him but she had never once seen her Pokémon take such a looking to anyone other than herself.

"Great, I feel so special." Gary drowned out, rolling his eyes and kept the frown on his face.

"Well someone sure it grouchy this morning." Misty teased him, moving her hand to fix the hair that had fallen out of place. She only did this once yesterday but throughout the course of yesterday she found herself doing it more often and now it almost felt natural.

Gary quickly moved his head away so she would not see his cheeks burn the same color as her hair. "Course I am," he grunted, hoping on the bike and waited for her to get on behind him.

Misty giggled once more before hoping on the back of the bike and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't worry, I'm sure that once we get Pidgeotto the trust your grandfather you can sleep as much as you want."

"I'd better." Gary grumbled mostly to himself but she still heard him. Soon enough he started pedaling and they were off, riding down on the clear path that Nurse Joy said would be the quickest and easiest route to take. The ride to his old town was a quite one, they talked about a few topics, mostly about new discoveries of Pokémon, and surprisingly they talked about his research. Gary was really surprised that she found it interesting. Most girls or regular people even would say his work was boring, just staring at a bunch of numbers and words all day did not sound like much fun but he could tell that Misty was genuinely interested in his work.

"So do you think Pidgeotto will like living on your grandfather's ranch?" Misty questioned as they quickly passed through the open roads that would be leading them into the town of Pallet very soon.

Gary nodded, eyes shifting from the road to the Pidgeotto in the basket. "It should. Grandpa made sure to build the place so all sorts of Pokémon would be happy living there. It may take a while for this one to adjust to living there but I'm sure soon enough it'll be very happy with its new life." he told her.

Misty couldn't help but smile. "You hear that Pidgeotto? Your new home is a really beautiful place and I'm sure you'll just love it." she told the dual-type that only chirped in reply but she could tell that it was still a little nervous about the whole trip. It's body was tense and its eyes seemed to scan every rock as they rode on down the path. It was still worried about being hunted down and getting attacked at any moment. "I sure hope Pidgeotto can feel like it's safe at the ranch." Misty knew that if it didn't feel safe then there would be nothing to stop it from just running away, but if it did that then it would be hunted down again and go through this pain all over.

"Don't worry about that," Gary sent her a reassuring grin. "Grandpa always makes sure that all the Pokémon feel safe and protected and cared for. I've been watching him take care of Pokémon for a long time and some do start of really nervous when they first come to live there but he does all he can so that they feel comfortable and happy in their new home."

Misty smiled at his words. "Your grandfather really loves Pokémon."

Gary nodded, "It's what makes him such a great researcher."

Misty looked up at Gary for a moment. The way he said that last part sounded really weird to her. She could hear the love and admiration in it for his grandfather but there was something else. It was almost like he sounded sad. _"Maybe sad isn't the word to describe it. More like scared or doubtful?" _she wondered if Gary was doubting himself about becoming a great researcher. "You're right. He is one of the very best," she leaned in closer, making sure that he heard her. "And I'm sure that you'll turn out to be an even better one. After all everything that's happened to help Pidgeotto has been your ideas. You got a wild Pokémon that is so scared of humans to trust us all within a day. If that doesn't say success than I don't know what does." she smiled, speaking the truth. Gary may be different from his grandfather but he had his own talents and abilities that she knows will make him into an amazing researcher.

Gary felt his heart rate increase and he had to focus to keep his body steady so not to suddenly crash the bike. "Thanks. It's always good to hear that my amazing achievements have reached the hearts of all." he said smugly, trying to hide just how happy her words really made him. He wouldn't say it but he felt almost a little embarrassed, having never received such a compliment he wasn't too sure what to do with himself.

Misty only rolled her eyes and let out a quiet laugh. "Let's not forget just how amazingly modest you are." She made sure that he could hear the sarcasm in her voice. Normally comments like that would annoy her but instead she found it kind of fun when he said it.

"But of course," Gary kept up the proud act, his head held up high as the road through his hometown. "After all I am the great Gary Oak. I'm the perfect package."

"Shut up before I kick you off my bike." Misty only groaned, trying to hide the fact that his little act was actually really amusing.

Gary only laughed at her empty threat. No one has ever talked with him like this, usually they either try to intimidate him or kiss up to him. Misty was different, she talked with him like they had been friends for years. "Sure you would," he snickered before coming to a quick stop. "We're here." he jumped off the bike and helped Pidgeotto out of the basket and had it sit on his shoulder. Nurse Joy told them that it was fully recovered but it would take a couple of days before it got all of its energy back.

"Wow, it's been so long," Misty set her bike off to the side so that no one would steal it or run over it. She just got it back and there was no way that she was going to lose it. "Time to wake up Togepi." she pulled out the sleeping Pokémon from inside her bag and the moment its head popped out it immediately woke up and was full of energy.

"Come on, let's go in." Gary led her up the stairs and with a key opened the door to the lab and walked in. "Grandpa, Tracey, we're here!" He called out, walking through the giant lab with Misty right behind him.

"Welcome home," Tracey was the first to greet them, a big smile on his face once he saw the two. "We were wondering when you two would get here."

"Hi Tracey, how are you?" Misty quickly greeted her old friend/traveling partner.

Tracey nodded in greeting. "I'm doing great, Misty. How about you? Ash told us all that you were heading home to take over the gym."

Misty nodded herself this time. "I was, but then Gary and I came across this Pidgeotto and neither one of us could just turn our backs on it." there was nothing in this world that could keep her from helping a Pokémon in its time of need.

"I know how you feel. I would be the exact same way if I came across an injured Pokémon," he said, feeling very proud of his friends for doing such a great and selfless thing. "Come on, Professor Oak is in the back. He wants to help get Pidgeotto settled in right away." he led them through the giant house and out the back screen doors to giant open fields filled with all sorts of Pokémon running around.

Togepi was the first one to spot Professor Oak and once in sight immediately ran over to the old researcher. "Well hello there, Togepi," with a kind smile he picked up the baby Pokémon and held it close in his arms. "It's good to see that you all made it here in one piece." he turned his attention on his grandson and the red-haired girl that were now approaching him.

"Hello Professor Oak, it's nice to see you again." Misty greeted the old man that was holding her baby Pokémon. Normally she wasn't comfortable with others holding her Togepi but Professor Oak was like family to her and she knew that he would take good care of Togepi.

"Hey Grandpa, thanks again for doing this." Gary greeted his grandfather with a kind smile, one hand going up to stroke Pidgeotto's head to help keep it calm. He could feel it tense up the moment they entered the lab but Pidgeotto was willing to trust them and willing to go along with their plan. So despite the fear that he was sure the poor Pokémon was feeling Pidgeotto stuck by his side.

Professor Oak smiled kindly at his grandson, "It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to help," suddenly he stepped closer to Gary and the larger than normal Pidgeotto that was resting on his shoulder. "Hmm? This is truly amazing," quickly he shoved Togepi into Gary's arms and examined the dual-type even further. "I've seen a lot of Pidgeotto in my time but never one this size. I wonder if it became like this because of the area that it lived in or possibly the food that it ate. It's truly fascinating."

Pidgeotto did not like how the old man kept invading his personal space so quickly it flew of Gary's shoulder and onto Misty's, trying to calm its nerves and keep from panicking. "It's ok, Pidgeotto," Misty reached her hands up to its head to try and relax the scared Pokémon. "Professor Oak just got a little excited. He's actually very nice and wants to do everything he can to help you." Pidgeotto seemed to trust her words, with a light nod it adjusted itself on her shoulder so that it was facing the professor.

Professor Oak took notice that despite how it was acting Pidgeotto was still wary about trusting him. "It looks like you were right Gary, we need to be sensitive and take things slow or else Pidgeotto won't trust us," he set his arms behind his back, eyes gazing softy at the frightened Pokémon. "Tracey, why don't you Pidgeotto some the Pokémon food that we prepared for it."

Tracey nodded, "You got it Professor," pulling out the jar of special food that was made just for it. "Here you go, Pidgeotto. I'm sure you're just going to love this." with his hand stretched out he moved closer to the dual-type.

Closer than he should have.

Pidgeotto was frightened immediately, its wings started flapping madly and its claws digging through her shirt and into Misty's shoulder, causing her to gasp in pain. All to soon it started to take off, making Misty go with it once again. "Not again!" With a cry of shock, Misty watched as her feet floated above the ground and as Pidgeotto flew her through the ranch. "Misty!" Gary, Tracey, and Professor Oak chased after her.

Misty bite back a scream so she could try and calm Pidgeotto down before it hurt itself like last time. "Pidgeotto, you need to calm down. You're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up." her feet were only a few inches off the ground but at the speed they were going at it could end badly if they hit something, like any other Pokémon running around the ranch.

Pidgeotto recognized her voice instantly, it released its claws from her shoulder and flew to a nearby tree while she fell into a lake. "Misty!" Gary was the first one to reach her, Togepi still in his arms crying for its mother.

"Misty, are you alright?" Tracey and Professor Oak were not far behind, gasping for breath after the sudden sprint.

Said red head gasped for air once her head popped out of the lake that Pidgeotto had dropped her in. She should be grateful that she wasn't dropped any other place that could have seriously damaged her but she couldn't find it in her to appreciate it with mud gathering in her pants. "I'm fine. A little wet and muddy but I'm fine." she pulled herself out of the pond and tried not to cringe as the mud went further down her pants.

"Pidgeotto," they all heard a weak call and saw Pidgeotto fly down to Misty's shoulder, nuzzling against her to show that it felt bad for what it had down.

Misty couldn't help but smile, her hand going up to scratch its head. "It's ok, Pidgeotto. I'm not mad at you. I understand that you're still scared and frightened but you don't need to take of running anymore. I promise that you're safe here." she consoled the dual-type, hoping that her words would help it.

Pidgeotto understood her words and nodded its head. "Toge! Togepi!" Togepi was crying in Gary's arms, its own little paws stretched out to reach its mother. With all its strength it jumped out of Gary's hold and jumped into Misty's, nuzzling its face in her chest and holding her tight.

"It's alright now, Togepi. I'm fine so don't cry." she cradled the baby Pokémon in her arms, letting it know that it had no reason to cry anymore. Togepi did stop its crying but it kept a tight grip on its mother.

"You sure you're ok?" Gary walked up to her, on hand going up to wipe the mud away from her injured shoulder. "The wound doesn't look to bad but you might want to bandage it or it could get infected." he suggested in concern.

Misty looked at the wound on her shoulder and saw that her skin was a light pink color but there was no blood and it didn't hurt too much. It was more of an annoying sting that she knew would go away in a few days. "I think I'll be ok. It's nothing more than a little cut." she wasn't worried about some little injury that would heal in a matter of days. Her main concern was Pidgeotto and how they were going to help it adjust to living at the ranch.

Gary frowned at her answer, "And I say you need to bandage it. It may only be a little cut now but if you leave it alone it could get a lot worse." he crossed his arms as he stared down at her, not backing down until she agreed to listen to him and his reasoning.

Misty stared right back. "I said I'm fine so would you quite treating me like a little kid." it wasn't a question. She was getting annoyed at his behavior and how he suddenly started acting like he could boss her around.

Both teens gave the other a hard stare, neither willing to back down. "My oh my," Professor Oak appeared in the middle of the two and separated them. "You both certainly are stubborn but I guess that's why Pidgeotto was able to trust you both so quickly," he smiled gently down at the two and then up at the Pokémon that was resting on Misty's shoulder. "I have an idea. How about I call Delia and ask her to bring Misty a pair of clothes for her to change into while Gary, you help Pidgeotto adjust to the ranch?" he suggested.

Misty was the first to agree. "That sounds good."

Gary just huffed, "Yeah, whatever." he gestured for Pidgeotto to come to him and once it was on his shoulder took off with it around the ranch.

Misty watched him go with a frown on her face. "Come Togepi, let's see if we can find a hose for me to rinse off with." she walked off her Togepi in the opposite direction as Gary, the frown never leaving her face.

Professor Oak watched them both go and couldn't help but laugh. "Ah, young love. It really is an amazing thing. Wouldn't you agree, Tracey?" he asked his young assistance that like always was busy sketching the scene.

Tracey merely nodded, too engrossed in his drawing. "Yeah, I guess." his hand froze however when his mind finally processed what his idol just said. "Wait...love? Professor, what are you-?" he looked back for some answers but only saw his idol walking away back to his lab.

"Come along now, Tracey. We have a lot of work to do." Professor Oak called out, not stopping as he headed back to his lab to call his old friend. With any luck she'll still be at home and hasn't already left yet.

"Wait a minute," Tracey gathered his things and took off after his idol. "Professor wait up!" he cried, hoping to catch up and have him explain and answer the millions of questions that were now swimming inside his head.

As everyone walked off in their own direction, lost in their own worlds they failed to notice the pairs of eyes watching them from the shadows.

"Those stupid kids are always getting in our way but for once they did us a favor." a light chuckle could be heard, indicating it was a female speaking.

"We'll get that Pidgeotto and all the Pokémon living on this stupid ranch." a rough male voice was heard next as the two chuckled at their plans to steal the Pokémon from the shadows of the lab.


	5. Chapter 5

Misty had to bite her lip to keep from muttering words that she was much too young to say and she didn't want to say them in front of her Togepi. She was annoyed that she was covered in mud but she was more annoyed with how Gary had suddenly treated. Before this he treated her equally, like they were a team, and now he acted like she was some little girl that needed help washing up. "Stupid," she muttered as the cold water hit her pale skin, making shivers run down her spin and her teeth started to chatter as the wind blew by. "The one time I wish I was a fire-type trainer instead of a water-type." she wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep warm. Togepi was resting on her lap, trying to help her but the little baby didn't have the necessary body heat that she needed. They were sitting outside on the balcony of the lab, she didn't want to track mud in the house, so she chose to wash off outside. Now she wished she had just gone in and offered to clean up her mess later. She was freezing and the oncoming wind was not helping her.

"It looks like I arrived just in time," Misty turned around at the sound of the sweet welcoming voice and was very glad to see Ash's mother standing there behind here with a bag full of clean clothes and two big fluffy towels. "Hello Misty, it's good to see you again."

Misty nodded in greeting, sending her a giant smile. "It's good to see you again too." she had never been happier to see Mrs. Ketchum in her entire life. Not only was she giving her dry clothes but also warmth and love, something she was in need of to make her bad mood go away.

"I must say that I wasn't expecting Professor Oak to call and ask me to bring you some dry clothes," she giggled softly, Mr. Mime right behind her with the bag of clothes in his hands.

Misty couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yeah, well it certainly was unexpected." she muttered, taking the bag of clothes from Mr. Mime with a grateful smile.

Delia smiled gently down at the young girl, a knowing smile on her face. "You know dear, Professor Oak explained to me the situation that's going on,"

Misty absentmindedly nodded her head. "So he told you all about Pidgeotto's behavior? The poor thing has been through a lot and I really hope we can help it adapt to living here at the lab." she took the towel and used it to dry her red fiery locks.

"Yes, but that's not all," Mrs. Ketchum placed a gentle hand on the young girl's shoulder as she spoke. "He explained to me about you and Gary and how you two suddenly went from being so close to not speaking at all," Misty stiffened at her words, hands frozen in place as her mind took her back to the fight she had with Gary. It wasn't even a real fight, they had a misunderstanding about things but it caused the two of them to be mad at each other. "You know I watched Gary grow up with Ash and there's one thing that I've come to learn about him. When a person he cares for is in trouble he takes charge and starts spouting out orders, acting like he's some general in an army. It was actually very cute to watch," Misty couldn't help but smile at her words. She could already imagine Gary as a little kid shouting out orders and acting like he's some big shot. "The way Gary grew up is very different from how you or I did, so he expresses his emotions differently than the rest of us. I know it may seem annoying and at times it may seem like he's trying to act like he's better than you but if you just give it times you'll be able to really see what his words and actions means," Mrs. Ketchum took the towel from her hands and turned her so that they could face each other. "Gary does care for you. Maybe more than you think." she gave her a playful wink before walking off with Mr. Mime in tow to look for Professor Oak.

Misty watched the older woman go, a thoughtful look on her face as she thought of the words that were spoken to her. "I wonder...what do you think Mrs. Ketchum meant by that Togepi?" Misty looked to her baby Pokémon but saw that it was busy looking at the article of clothing inside the bag. "Yeah, I guess you're right," with a giggle she let the matter go and reached inside the bag for the much appreciated dry clothes. "For now I need to focus on getting changed and hel-" she froze mid-sentence once she saw what clothes had been chosen for here. "Why do I feel like my sister's had something to do with this." she muttered in annoyance. If she wasn't so desperate for dry clothes she wouldn't even consider wearing them but she had no other choice. "Let's get this over with." she grumbled, going inside to change. The faster she got her wet clothes into the dryer the faster she could put them back on and get off this monstrosity.

Gary watched as Pidgeotto flew up above in the sky, going around in a circle as it checked out its new surroundings. After adjusting to the lab and seeing how all of the Pokémon there were very happy it seemed to calm down some and started to fly around to check things out. Of course it made sure to stay close to Gary but now at least Pidgeotto wasn't freaking out whenever someone other than Gary of Misty went near it. Professor Oak and Tracey were able to gain its trust and now the three seemed to have a fun time exploring the lab together. Mrs. Ketchum had joined the group not long after and after giving Pidgeotto some of her famous cookies the dual-type was instantly her friend.

"Umbre?" Umbreon had been released from its ball after Pidgeotto became more comfortable with everyone. It was lying next to Gary as the two sat on top of the hill and watched the scene down below. Or at least that's what it looked like. Gary was too lost in thought to pay attention to what the others were doing and Umbreon was starting to worry about its master.

With a sigh Gary rested one arm on his leg and the other went over to pet Umbreon. He didn't mean to worry his Pokémon but his mind wouldn't let up on the argument he had with Misty. "What's wrong with me?" he grumbled, trying his hardest to understand why he was acting so weird. He's never once acted this way, or felt this way.

"Would you like me to make a list or just tell you the top ten?" his body stiffened up when he heard her light voice being followed up by soft giggles. He turned around to face her and once his eyes set on his figure he couldn't help but smirk.

"Well don't you look all nice and pretty." he grinned when he saw her pout, cheeks turning a bright red but not from embracement but from annoyance.

With a huff Misty sat down next to him, placing Togepi next to Umbreon so the two could play together. "Just so you know this would not be my first choice in clothing. I'm not sure how but I swear my sisters had something to do with this." she said with a frown as she stared down at her outfit. She was wearing a tight white shirt that made it hard for her to move her arms with a cherry red jacket over it. A blue jean skirt covered her lower half and normally she didn't mind wearing skirts but this one was much too short in her mind and with her ankle white boots that pinched her feet made the outfit even more unbearable.

Gary raised an eyebrow at her words, "How so?" he wondered how the three elder girls could have done this with them not even being present. If he had to guess he was sure that the three had probably already left on their trip.

Misty wanted to bring her legs up to hug them and get comfortable but with the skirt she couldn't do that unless she wanted the entire lab to see her underwear. "Ever since I was little they've been trying to dress me up in these types of clothes. Don't get me wrong, I like wearing pretty outfits but I'd rather be comfortable when I wear them, instead of dreaming about ripping them off at the first moment I get," she let a small smile leak out when she heard Gary start laughing. "Still I guess I can't complain too much. This choice of clothing is much better than what they used to try and dress me up in, which I swear resembled pastries more than clothes." at this point they both laughed at her story and with that any ill feeling they had for each other before was completely erased.

Gary grinned at her, "I know your pain. I have an older sister myself and whenever she got the chance she would try and dress me up in girl clothes. I had to hide at grandpa's lab until she got tired of it."

Misty laughed at his story, her mind already imaging a little Gary running away from his elder sister that held a pink frilly dress in one hand. "I didn't know you had a sister, Gary. After all the talking Ash did about you I would have thought he would have mentioned her." Misty thought back to all the times Ash spoke of Gary but she couldn't remember him ever mentioning Gary's sister.

"Ash talked about me?" Gary looked confused, trying to understand what she really meant.

Misty nodded, wearing a grin of her own. "Oh yes, you had to hear all the stories. Brock and I were sure that we could write a book about your life. With Ash it was always "It's just like the time Gary beat me when I was six" or "That was exactly how Gary won" and so on." She giggled when she saw the grin on the brunette's face.

"Well I did beat Ash a lot when we were kids. Not my fault all his experiences are of me beating him," he let out a proud grin, his mind taking him back to his childhood and all the times he spent winning against Ash. _"Times certainly have changed." _he thought. He beat Ash a lot when they were kids but now it seems like Ash is the one that's ahead of him. "And I think I know the reason why he never mentioned my sister," he had a wide grin on his face as he spoke.

Misty blinked, leaning in closer so she could hear every word he said. "Why?" she was honestly curious and she wanted answers.

Gary's grin only widen in size. "Ash had the biggest crush on my sister growing up and I think he still does on some level."

Misty blinked again. "Really?" she almost couldn't believe it. "I can't imagine Ash liking anything else other than Pokémon." she could remember all the pretty girls that they met on their journey and Ash showed more interest in their Pokémon than in the girls themselves.

Gary nodded in agreement, "I doubt he'll ever not be obsessed with Pokémon but when it came to my sister he somehow forgot what even a Poké Ball was. Actually when my sister was trying to play dress up with me I sent Ash in my place and the lovesick fool agreed to everything she said and did to him." Misty started laughing at the very thought of a little Ash with a love struck look on his face as he let himself get dressed up.

"Please tell me that you have a picture." she asked out between giggles.

Gary grinned at her. "But of course." he took out his wallet and pulled out a folded picture that was of him grinning like mad, his sister smiling sweetly, and Ash with a love struck look on his little face as he wore a bright pink dress and with a matching ribbon.

Misty couldn't help but burst out laughing, arms going around to hold her stomach that was starting to hurt from all the laughing she was doing. "You have to send me a copy of that." she was so going to use that against Ash the next time he annoyed her.

Gary had no problems agreeing with her demand and put the picture back in his wallet. "I'm sure grandpa still has a few extra copies lying around his lab somewhere. I'll get one for you later," he watched her silently for a moment. She was trying to keep herself from laughing but a few giggles were still escaping here and there. His eyes wandered over her figure that looked amazing in her outfit but he had to say that the style wasn't really hers. It looked nice on her but it just didn't scream Misty. "Speaking of crushes," he sucked in a deep breath and tried to give her a bored look. "What's the deal with you and Ash?"

Misty stopped her laughing at his question and sent him a confused look. "What do you mean?" one eyebrow raised as she stared at him. She noticed that his face was just screaming boredom but his body was very stiff. _"What's with him?" _she wondered.

Gary shrugged, trying to act as if he didn't really care about her answer when strangely he did. "Just wondering. You guys travelled together for a long time so I was just curious to see if something developed over time."

Misty looked at him for a moment longer before turning her gaze to the open sky. "Actually I'm still wondering about that myself," she let out a soft smile as she spoke. "When I learned that I had to leave the group I was really upset that Ash seemed so ok with me going. It was only when we were saying goodbye that I finally realized his feelings for me and did I finally understand my feelings for him," she closed her eyes, remembering how just a few days ago she said goodbye to Ash and Brock. "I realized that both Brock and I are very important to him, we're best friends with a strong bond that can't be broken even if we are separated," she opened her eyes again to see Gary staring at her, hanging onto her every word. "For the longest time I thought my feelings for Ash went beyond that of friendship and I was sort of right,"

"Sort of?" Gary didn't realize that he spoke out loud until his brain processed that sudden deep voice was his.

Misty nodded, not at all annoyed that he interrupted her story. "Ash is very important to me, but it's not the kind of importance that I thought I would feel. When I think about Ash I think of Brock and my sisters and how we're all one big happy family," with a soft sigh and a small smile he finally spoke the words that have been stuck in her heart since she first realized what these feelings were. "Somehow along the way my feelings for him became that of a big sister caring precious little brother that was forced to watch him grow up. I guess I was more sad about the fact that my baby brother. I know now that the reason I was so upset that he seemed ok with me leaving is because I realized that my little brother no longer needs his big sister by his side to guide him." she didn't know why but saying all of this to Gary but it made her feel really good. Her heart that had been so confused about this very subject was now as light as a feather and she could feel the smile on her face was a true genuine one.

Misty didn't know it but Gary's heart held the same feather light feeling as hers did. "I see," he honestly didn't know what to say. He was Gary Oak, who had answer to everything, was completely speechless. He did have a few things to say but they were all about how he was happy with her answer and even then he didn't understand why he was so happy. _"Do I like her?" _the thought crossed his mind and almost instantly his hand itched to hold hers.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to spring all of this on you. I'm sure you'd rather talk about something else, but I just felt like I needed to get this off my chest." she sent him a bright smile, thanking him for listening. She did feel bad that she set all of that on him. She was sure that he was probably wasn't the least bit interested in her love life or lack of one.

Gary didn't know what possessed him to do this but his hand reached out for hers and he held it in a firm grip. "I don't mind. I get it, there are times when you just need to get something off your chest or else it feels like you'll go crazy if you don't," he looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze elsewhere, cheeks suddenly glowing. "Just so you know I don't care if you ever want to have another talk like this again. I mean it's better than keeping this kind of stuff inside so if you ever wanna talk about it with me you can." he knew that he probably sounded really weird and probably stupid but he couldn't control himself. It was like the words were just falling out and he had no control over any of them.

Misty watched as he struggled with his speech, he seemed to be trying to find the right words to say but all that was coming out was a jumbled mess. Yet even as a complete mess the words he were saying did the job, they made her feel happy. "Thank you," with little effort she moved over and rested her head on his shoulder.

Gary was shocked to say the least. He was expecting a joke of some sorts for his weird behavior but instead she was thanking him and by the content look on her face said that he did a good job. How he managed this he had no idea but he wasn't going to question it. "You're welcome." he let her head rest there, on his shoulder as the two looked out and watched all the Pokémon run around the lab enjoying themselves. To Gary, doing this simple action felt right. Just sitting there with her, holding her hand, having her close to him, it all felt right.

Misty wasn't sure how or why they ended up like this but she wasn't complaining. Sitting next to him as he held her hand and her head was resting on his shoulder seemed like the most naturally thing in the world. It was almost like reading an old book that you used to read a kid and now you're picking it up again years later and still getting the same amazing feeling you got from it as a child. She didn't know much about Gary and he didn't know much about her but she wanted to know more about him, to talk with him more, to spend time with him, and to have more happy moments like this. _"Mom, is this how you felt?" _with her free and she gripped her mother's necklace and thought of her deceased mother and what this all could mean. She was feeling something so strange starting to build in her heart and she wanted to know exactly what it was because it was so strange. You think she would be frightened of this new feeling, and while she was concerned about it on some level, she wasn't as scared as she thought she should be.

Somehow in the short period of time they spent together they created a bond with each other that was growing even now as they sat there. They had moved out of each other's hold and were merely sitting next to each other, exchanging words like any other person but with them it was different. Everything about this feeling that they had building up in their hearts were so different from anything they ever felt before and strangely it excited them more than scare them. This feeling, this bond that was forming between them was something incredible and they hoped that they could always have this feeling.


	6. Chapter 6

"It looks like Pidgeotto is getting along really well with everyone." Misty was glad for this. She had been so worried about the dual-type but seeing how well it was doing now was really amazing.

Gary nodded in agreement. "I told you, my grandfather knows exactly what to do when it comes to these types of situations." he said with pride in his voice but there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

Misty noticed this and decided that he was in need of some cheering up. "I'm sure that in time you'll be just as good, maybe even better." she had no doubt that Gary would turn out to be an amazing Pokémon Researcher.

Gary felt his body become light at her words and sent her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

It only took a few words to be said between the two to cause a certain warm feeling to surround them. Even their Pokémon could feel it as Umbreon and Togepi were sitting happily besides them, enjoying the calm and happy moment going on.

"Umbre!" suddenly Umbreon shot up on its feet and started to growl, the fur on its body standing on edge as its blood red eyes stared out into the bushes nearby.

"Umbreon?" Gary noticed his Pokémon behavior and knew instantly what was going on. "Someone's at the lab that shouldn't be." he stood up, going next to his Pokémon and searched the surrounding area for anything that shouldn't be there.

Misty instantly grabbed her Togepi and stood up next to Gary. "I think I have a feeling of who it might be." she frowned, knowing that there was only one group of people that always chose the worst time to show up.

Almost as soon as she said that was a large popping noise heard and a giant net was aimed at Pidgeotto. "Umbreon use Shadow Ball and destroy that net." Gary commanded and thankfully the attack was enough to ruin the net and keep it from capturing Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeotto!" Misty ran towards the frightened Pokémon, letting it rest on her shoulder as it shook in fear. "It's ok, you're safe. We won't let them hurt you anymore." her words did wonders as the shaking dual-type calmed its nerves enough to keep from totally shaking.

"Well that wasn't very nice," not moment later did their culprits appear from the bushes. "You've gone and ruined our toy." Cassidy put one hand on her hip as she sent a wicked grin down at the group.

"And they call us the evil ones." Butch had his own wicked look on his face, in his hands was a giant net launcher.

"It's Team Rocket!" they all proclaimed in shock and annoyance.

Cassidy: Prepare for trouble  
Butch: And make it double  
Cassidy: To infect the world with devistation  
Butch: To Blight all peoples in every nation  
Cassidy: To denouce the goodness of truth and love

Butch: To extend our wrath to the stars above  
Cassidy: Cassidy  
Butch: Butch  
Cassidy: Team rocket circling the earth both day and night  
Butch: Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight

"It's Cassidy!" Misty all but growled out.

"And Bart." Tracey added in next.

"It's not Bart, it's Butch! Weren't you stupid fools listening to our motto. My name is in it so listen better next time!" Butch cried out, annoyed that they had gotten his name wrong yet again.

"Cool it, Bud," Cassidy said with a low sigh.

"It's not Bud it's Butch!" He cried to his partner this time even more annoyed.

"Whatever, we have other things to focus on," Cassidy merely rolled her eyes. "Now how about you hand over that lovely Pidgeotto and we'll leave you alone."

"No way," Gary stepped forward, Umbreon right with him. "I'm betting it was you guys that were hunting Pidgeotto and it made so distrusting of humans."

"But of course," Butch only grinned down at his enemy. "We've been trying to catch that stupid bird for weeks now but it kept running away every time we stepped foot in the forest."

"We were planning on just burning down the entire forest when you two showed up and got Pidgeotto to come here," Cassidy sent them an evil grin and started to laugh in joy. "Not only did you save us work but you also helped us so we can grab even more Pokémon for our boss."

"If you think we're going to just let you take all the Pokémon here then you've got another thing coming." Misty said, already grabbing one of her Poké Balls for battle. She would defend Pidgeotto and every other Pokémon at the lab with her very life if needed.

Cassidy sneered at her, annoyed at her disobedient behavior. "Fine, you asked for it. Go, Houndour!"

"Come on out, Hitmontop!" Butch called out his Pokémon next and the two Rocket Pokémon stood in front of the group, ready for a fight.

"Houndour use Ember!"

"Hitmontop use Rolling Kick!"

Both attacked at once, both aiming to hurt Umbreon and defeat their enemy.

"Umbreon dodge and use Skull Bash!" Umbreon listened to its master and with its quick speed was able to dodge the two oncoming attacks and used its own to send the two flying back.

"Gary needs help," Misty knew that Umbreon was strong but even it would need help battling two Pokémon at once. "Corsola, I chose y-!" She wanted to call out her Corsola but instead her Psyduck popped out of its Poké Ball like always. "Psyduck! I thought I told you not to just pop out like that!" she scolded her Pokémon, annoyed that it was always doing what it wanted.

"Psy?" Psyduck merely titled its head and gave her a confused look.

Misty sighed, "Why do I even bother?" she hung her head in shame.

"Enough fooling around," Cassidy cried out, annoyed at how this event was going. "Butch use the net launcher on them!"

"Got it." Butch nodded in agreement and fired a giant net at the group.

"Misty, move!" Gary pushed her out of the way just in time before the net came over him and everyone else, trapping them inside.

"Oh no," Misty gasped when she saw that everyone but her, Pidgeotto, Togepi, and Psyduck were captured. "We need to get them out." Misty put Togepi down so that she could try and get the net off her friends but the trap was rooted deep in the ground and she couldn't get it off them.

"Forget about us Misty and run." Tracey told her as he held onto the net. No matter how he and everyone else pulled they couldn't break free.

"But I can't just leave you." Misty was not about to abandon everyone. Who knows what Team Rocket would do to them and their Pokémon.

"You have too," Gary spoke up next, a determined look on his face. "We'll get out of this on our own but you need to leave now before those Rocket creeps get Pidgeotto."

"But..." Misty hated it but she knew that he was right. Pidgeotto had only just started to trust humans again and if it gets captured now that trust will completely disappear. She needed to get it to safety and once then would she come back and rescue her friends. "Come on, Psyduck. We have to go." She quickly picked up Togepi and with Psyduck behind her they started to run.

"I don't think so!" Cassidy called out and hand Houndour jump in front of Misty.

As she tried to turn the other way to escape Hitmontop appeared behind her, blocking her. "You've got nowhere to run little girl." Butch mocked her.

Misty growled at the two Rocket members and looked down at her Psyduck. "How about it? Is your headache bad enough?" she asked but all she got was a sad sigh from her Pokémon. It did have a headache but not nearly bad enough for it to use any attacks. "Great." she wanted to call out another Pokémon to fight but she was sure that if she made the slightest move then Cassidy and Butch would command their Pokémon to attack her. Even if she stood completely still they would tell them to attack her. There was nowhere for her to escape too. _"What do I do? Psyduck doesn't have a big enough headache for it to use any of its attacks and Togepi can't battle these guys. They have me surrounded so there's no way for me to escape." _her eyes scanned the area, looking for something, anything that could help them escape when she caught something in the bushes behind Cassidy and Butch. Instantly she recognized it and grinned. "Pidgeotto, you don't have to be scared anymore. I promise that I will protect you and keep you safe so just watch and see." she told the frightened Pokémon that was shaking even more than before.

Cassidy started laughing, amused at her hopeful behavior when it was certain that she was going to lose. "Cute speech little girl but it's plain as day that you've lost. Now Houndour use-!" she didn't get to finish as she was thrown to the ground by a sharp attack hitting her back.

"It's Doduo!" Gary grinned when he saw his Pokémon using its Peck Attack on Cassidy.

Butch gasped when he saw this and tried to get the two headed Pokémon off his partner. "Alright, that's enough now. Get off her!" he tried pushing it off but Doduo started using its attack on him instead. "Hey, stop it!" both Butch and Cassidy cried as they were being pecked at.

Misty grinned when she saw her opportunity. "Corsola, come on out!" she called out her perky Pokémon and grinned when she saw that the two Rocket members were too busy to call out any attacks. "Now, use Spike Canon!" she commanded and instantly Corsola started to glow and its attacked hit Hitmontop direct and sent it flying.

"Oh no, Hitmontop!" Butch cried when he saw his Pokémon was lying on the ground, knocked out.

Cassidy growled. "Enough of this nonsense," she threw Doduo off her and sent her sights on Misty. "Houndour use Flamethrower!" with a nod fire started to gather around its mouth as it aimed its attack at the girl in front of it.

"Misty move!" Tracey cried out.

"Run away!" Professor Oak called for her.

"Misty!" Gary watched in fear as the giant fire attack was heading straight for her.

Misty wanted to run but she was to scared. Fear had taken over her body, preventing her from running away to escape the burning fire that would soon engulf her. All she could do was throw her Pokémon out of the line of fire and pray that the pain wouldn't be to serve. "Pidgeotto!" only fate had other ideas. Pidgeotto jumped off her shoulder and using its Gust Attack put out the flames just moments before they hit Misty. Houndour annoyed by this tried to use its fire attack again but Pidgeotto quickly grabbed the back of Misty jacket and lifted her up into the air to avoid getting hit.

Gary grinned when he saw that she was ok and turned his attention to his Pokémon. "Doduo, use your Drill Peck to break this net." with a quick nod Doduo used its attack to rip the net to shreds and freed everyone inside. No sooner did everyone get free did Doduo start to glow and in a matter of moments Doduo evolved into Dodrio.

"Amazing, Doduo evolved." Tracey gasped in amazement.

Gray grinned, proud of his Pokémon for evolving and helping them in this fight. He looked up above them to Misty to call to her and get her to fight with him. "Come on, Misty. Let's-!" he stopped however when he realized what exactly he was looking at. His cheeks burned at the sight and his heart suddenly seemed to skyrocket at the very image.

"Gary?" Tracey wondered what caused his friend to sudden act so strange. He and everyone else looked up to see what it was that he was staring at and when they finally noticed they all blushed a beat red.

"Oh my," Mrs. Ketchum couldn't help but giggled lightly at this situation.

Misty looked down at her friends and wondered why they were acting so strange. They were all just standing there, watching her, and for some reason the guys cheeks held a beet red blush staining them. Like lightening realization hit her and she screamed. "Don't look!" she cried out, both hands going to hold down her skirt so that her underwear couldn't be seen anymore. She was up in the air and everyone below could see her panties.

Gary, Tracey, Professor Oak, Mr. Mime and Dodrio all turned around and covered their eyes so to not see Misty's underwear anymore. "Dear, I think it's best if you come down now." Mrs. Ketchum called out, being the only one not hiding her eyes.

Misty nodded and told Pidgeotto to take her down. "Maybe if I'm lucky a big hole with swallow me up." she couldn't believe that just happened. _"How embarrassing." _

Cassidy grinned when she saw everyone's focus was not on them. "Quick, Houndour while they're attention is off us use Flamethrower!" she commanded but instead of seeing a blazing attack of fire she saw her Pokémon lying on the ground, covering its eyes so not to see Misty's panties as well. "Since when are you so modest!" she cried out in both shock and annoyance.

Butch only scoffed. "Forget them, let's just use the launcher again." He readied the launcher, trying to aim at Pidgeotto but he was stopped when a white boot hit him directly in his face.

"Don't look!" Misty cried, still holding down her skirt.

Butch growled, taking off the boot to show a boot print in the middle of his face. "Why you little-!" he was stopped as a second boot hit his face, making him fall to the ground and knocked him out.

"I said don't look!" Misty cried out again. Thankfully it didn't take her long to reach the ground and her underwear was no longer in view. Once she was down Togepi ran over and jumped into her arms, this time it wasn't crying at her sudden take off but cheering up at Pidgeotto for helping its mother. Psyduck was standing next to her but it was grinning up at her, almost as if laughing at her for having her underwear be seen by everyone. "Oh, shut up." she smacked her Psyduck in the head and huffed.

"I've had about enough of this stupid banter. Houndour use Bite!" Cassidy commanded, wanting this battle to be finished already.

Everyone gasped as they watched the angered Pokémon come running at them, its jaw wide open to use bite against them. With a quick jump it jaw made contact with Psyduck's head, causing it great pain and making it run around the group with tears in its eyes. "That's it, Houndour! Keep up that Bite!" Misty cheered on the enemies Pokémon, Togepi was right there with her.

"Uh...Misty?" Gary sent her a confused look and wondered if the sudden trip in the air had taken a number on her head. "You do know that Psyduck is yours, not Houndour."

Misty only winked at him. "I know but Houndour is actually doing me a favor. It's giving Psyduck a headache."

Gary was still confused. "And that's good how?"

"You'll see," Misty kept her gaze on her Psyduck, watching as it ran all with tears flowing out of its eyes. It kept this up for a few moments longer before completely stopping, hands going up to its head and eyes and body started to glow blue. "That's it, Psyduck! Now use Disable!" Misty cheered as she watched Houndour was floating off of Psyduck's head and was thrown back to Team Rocket. "Now use to confusion to send them flying!" with a simple gesture of its arms Psyduck had all of Team Rocket in its control, making them all cry out in fear and not a moment later sent them flying off the ranch.

"Team Rocket is blasting off again!"

At the familiar catch phrase everyone cheered and waved off their flying enemies. Everyone was safe, both the Pokémon and the group of friends staying there.


	7. Chapter 7

Misty hummed to herself as she gathered all of her stuff together. After the incident with Team Rocket everyone had decided to celebrate Pidgeotto on gaining newfound strength so they threw a little party in the middle of the ranch. Every Pokémon came and joined them in as they enjoyed themselves until the sun finally went down and it was time for bed. Misty ended up staying the night and when the next day came she was finally back in her regular clothes. She liked the outfit she had before but she liked her regular a lot better. Once back in her normal attire she gathered all her stuff and decided it was time to start making her way towards her hometown. "Where's Gary?" she was inside, saying her goodbyes to everyone but she didn't see any sign of the young aspiring researcher that she had traveled here with.

"It seems that he got a call from his superior and she told them that the Gyarados cleared out faster than expected and they wanted him to head over as soon as possible." Professor Oak explained with a proud grin on his face.

"I see," Misty tried not to show it but she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Gary. It was only for a little while but she had fun traveling with him. "Well please take good care of Pidgeotto everyone and it was great seeing you all again, goodbye." With that said she waved them off and walked out of the lab. It was time for her to return home and take over the gym. Togepi in her arms, making a slight fuss that they had to leave so soon. "I know, I'll miss them all too but we need to get going. I'm sure that by now my sisters have already left and I'm worried about all the Pokémon." she went to put her Togepi in the basket but was stopped when she saw that the basket was already full.

"Umbreon." she couldn't help but laugh at this familiar scene.

"I thought I told you red, it's not very nice to stare." Gary was directly behind her, his bag over one shoulder as he grinned at her.

She only shook her head and smiled back at him. "What are you still doing here? Professor Oak said you took off already."

He only shrugged and moved around her, getting onto her bike. "I was but I figured why deny you my presences anymore when you won't be able to see my handsome face for so long." he grinned and patted the seat behind him.

Misty only rolled her eyes and set Togepi in the basket next to Umbreon. "Very smooth Oak, very smooth." she got behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, already used to this set of motions.

Gary started to peddle the moment her arms were around him. "I know but it's not that much of a surprise," he chuckled at his joke and his grin increased when he heard her laughing. "So what are you going to do now that you're the official gym leader?" he questioned as the rode off through his hometown, riding down a very familiar road.

Misty took a moment to answer. "I'm not really sure. The gym is now known for my sister's underwater performances so I'll probably have to work on building up its reputation for being an official gym again," she said, thinking of ways that could get everyone's attention that her gym was no longer just about underwear shows but real battles. "What about you? I hope you didn't forget out promise."

Gary only laughed. "I didn't forget but you may have to wait for the Omanyte longer than you want. Dora called me and said she found an Aerodactyl egg and she wants to test to see if the ember I found on my travels is a match to it."

"An Aerodactyl? Wow, that's impress." she had to admit that she was impressed with his research and what he was doing.

"Yeah and I guarantee the Aerodactyl I bring back to life will be much more impressive than the one we saw at the dig sight." he grinned when he felt her tense up.

"You mean we all dreamed about because of Jigglypuff?" she had a weak smile on her face. She, Ash, and Brock all agreed to keep that incident at the dig a secret so no one ever tried to go back there and try to capture the prehistoric Pokémon living there.

Gary scoffed at her words. "Pleases, I've had a lot of dreams caused by Jigglypuff's song and but never one that felt that real."

"Well it fooled the others," Misty sighed, knowing that there was no point in arguing with him. "So even if you do bring it back to life then what? You saw what happened last time. That thing almost ate Ash." she could remember the week after the dig and how Ash refused to eat meat because he said that it didn't feel right. Of course that didn't last long, the moment they passed by a fast food place his mouth had instantly watered at the smell of a hamburger and he broke his no-meat rule.

Gary just shrugged again. "I've got my Pokémon to defend me and don't forget that I am the proud owner of hundreds of other Pokémon, I think I can handle one more."

Misty rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, I will kick you off my bike if you keep this up." she reminded him of her threat.

He just laughed it off, "Whatever you say, red."

Misty pouted at this. "Stop calling me that. I have a name and I would appreciate it if you call me that." she said in a mock tone, which was enough to tell him that she wasn't really annoyed with him.

"Maybe later," he grinned when he heard her growl, enjoying their little banter but sadly their good times had to come to an end. They reached the pier a lot faster than expected and it was time for him to set off. "Looks like this is my stop." he hopped off the bike and called Umbreon back.

Misty couldn't help but frown. She was having a lot of fun with him and she was sad to see it end. "Yeah, looks like it." Togepi was just as sad. Once it understood that its friends were leaving it jumped into Gary's arms and cried. "Looks like Togepi really grew attached to you." Misty commented, bringing her crying Pokémon into her arms.

Gary nodded and gave the small baby Pokémon a pat on the head. "Don't cry so much, I promise to come back." he shook its little paws to seal his promise.

Togepi seemed to agree to their promise before jumping into Misty's basket and curled up into its shell. "Togepi doesn't like goodbyes very much," she told her companion before opening up her arms and engulfed him in a hug. "I have to say that I'm going to miss you, Gary."

He was shocked at her sudden actions for a moment before recovering and hugging her back. "Yeah, I'll miss you too." he really wanted to just forget about the island and all the research work that was waiting for him there. He wanted to forget all of that and go off with Misty, because being with her just felt so right but they both knew that he needed to go to the island.

As they pulled back they laughed when they noticed that their necklaces were tangled together. With the greatest care Misty untangled the two cords and held her mother's necklace in her hands.

"That necklace must be really important to you." he said, smiling down at her.

Misty nodded, "This necklace was how my father proposed to my mother."

"Really?" Gary asked, amazed. He's never heard of anyone asking another person to marry them by a necklace.

She nodded again as she told him the tale. "My father was the original leader of the gym and while he was out on his journey he meet my mother on one of the nearby island. He said it was love at first sight but that wasn't the story with my mother. Every chance he got my father would go visit my mother on the island and slowly she fell in love with him. One the day my father asked my mother to came back with him to Cerulean City there was a big storm and it took both their strongest water Pokémon to get them to shore. After the storm had subsided and they were finally on land this very gem washed up with them and in that moment my father asked my mother to marry him." she told him the very story her mother used to tell her so long ago.

"It sounds like your parents had a real life fairy tale romance," he's heard a lot of stories about people falling in love and getting married but never one like Misty's parents. "What happened to your father? Is he still traveling?"

Misty shook her head. "One day he got a phone call from a friend of his on a nearby island saying that they needed his help with a Gyarados that was going on a rampage. However there was a very bad storm that not even the strongest water-type could survive. They found his boat in pieces a few days later but my father's body was never discovered, the sea took him away." she looked out onto the ocean waters that held so much mystery and more. Tears began to gather in her eyes but before she could wipe them away Gary pulled her into his hold and held tight. "Gary?" she gasped out.

"Cry if you want, you don't need to be strong." he told her, keeping her head buried in her chest so no one could see her tears, not even him.

She gasped again but for a whole different reason. With a silent nod she held tight to him and let the few stray tears fall from her eyes. "Thank you." She was always used to being the strong one and everyone expected her to always act that way, even her sisters, but Gary wasn't. He wasn't expecting anything out of her, only for her to be herself. With a quick wipe of her hand she got rid of the tears and stood up, a genuine happy smile on her face.

Soon the sound of the boat readying for departure announced that their little moment had to end.

"Looks like you really have to go now." she said, only this time she didn't feel so sad.

"Yeah, looks like it." he agreed, hearing the boat's horn but instead of feeling angry for leaving he felt content.

"Next time you're back home be sure to come and visit me, ok!" she sent him the brightest smile that she could.

"You got it." he returned her smile with one of his own before waving goodbye and headed for the ship.

Misty watched him go and with a sigh turned her attention onto her Togepi. "It's time we get going as well." so she hopped on her bike and waited as Gary got on the ship before waving goodbye to him one more time.

Soon both her bike and the ship took off and even as they went in opposite direction they knew that there was no reason to be sad because they knew that they would see each other again.

**END**


End file.
